The Viral Sublime

The Viral Sublime

The Viral Sublime is a series of work that draws upon a combination of history, theoretical concerns, and multiple collaborations with scientists and doctors. These experiences seem to have fused together in forming decisions in the paintings. The works are in part imaginary perceptions of the interior landscape of the body; the body consisting of approximately seven per cent virus, without which human beings would not survive. It is the viral characteristics of invisibility; the intangible, the unknown, and the ability to replicate and mutate to ensure their evolution, that engenders an imaginary relationship with this microorganism, which seeps into my practice through paint(ing). The unseen power of viruses to destroy and to heal is what connects them with notion of the Sublime. This understanding has become central to the work.

Historical references include Orphism and the early abstractionists such as František Kupka, when advancements in medical research and science had such broad implications on painting. The discoveries in science, astrophysics and medicine during this period, marked a historical shift analogous with the science of epigenetics and the discovery of ribonucleic acid (RNA) ,modifications, which are becoming one of the key conceptual revolutions today.